Election 2016

So here’s a new one. We’re doing a special Election Day linkdump for the 2016 US Presidential Election. When you have pundits concerned that this could be the last time that they could vote for a President, I think we should probably round up the news before any possible changes to America’s First Amendment are made. That might be the tip of the iceberg of things that would change depending on who wins 270 or more electoral college votes.

Anyway, it’s Election Day so we’re doing the links. Let’s kick off with J-Lo from a recent Hilary rally.

You’ve heard about the possibility of the Russians interfering with the election. Just how are they already doing that without actually hacking the vote. (CNN)

Donald Trump claims to have a winning temperament but not when it comes to libel lawsuits. (Poynter)

Speaking of temperament, the Trump team has such faith in The Donald’s temperament that they took away his Twitter so he couldn’t tweet in the days leading up to the vote. (Talking Points Memo)

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This morning, America turned the clocks back by one hour for Daylight Savings Time. On Tuesday, there’s a possibility that America can turn the clock back by 40 or 50 years with this year’s US Presidential Election. It’s Clinton vs. Trump in a battle of the two most disliked candidates in democratic history. That’s an important statement since Republican voters are voting against Clinton instead of for Trump. Any other candidate on either side would have made this election pretty boring.

Anyway, it’s Sunday so it’s time for the links. Let’s kick off with Clinton supporter Katy Perry.

Irony deficiency is a serious medical condition. Someone should check on Melania Trump because she said her work as First Lady would be to fight online bullying. It didn’t seem like she got the irony of that statement. (The Gaily Grind)

By the way, the AP said that Melania was paid to model while in America before she got a work visa. (The Associated Press)

At a rally last night, The Donald was whisked off-stage by the Secret Service. There was no assassination attempt. It was a man holding a Republicans Against Trump sign that caused a ruckus with Trump diehards and he got beaten for it. (The Guardian)

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In what can only be considered the best news we’ll have until this time next week, there is only one more week until the votes are counted and the US might have a new leader. Of course, there might be a few legal challenges from either side depending on the outcome. And for all Trump talks about World War III if Hilary wins, there’s the real possibility of Civil War II if she wins. At least the US and Russia will get along if Trump wins.

While FBI Director Comey was willing to disclose an investigation into Hilary Clinton’s emails via Anthony Weiner’s sexting, he’s not as quick to disclose the FBI’s investigation into the Republican candidate. For example, the FBI is investigating Trump’s former campaign manager. (NBC News)

Meanwhile, the FBI was made aware that Putin and the Kremlin were cultivating Trump and he seems to be playing into their hands. (Mother Jones)

The Times is digging into Donald Trumps taxes again and found how he was able to not pay taxes and loans from his casinos in the 1990. It turns out that it may not have been in the most kosher manner possible. (New York Times)

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We’re just over a week away from Election Day in the US and hopefully we’ll be done with it by then. Of course, with the Trump campaign openly talking about voter suppression and with Trump and supporters claiming the election is rigged, will anyone be happy enough to let the election end quietly next week?

What does it say about a campaign when they’re talking about “voter suppression operations?” That’s the plan inside Team Trump. (Bloomberg)

Donald Trump claims to be charitable but David Fahrenthold’s latest look at the Trump Foundation just backs up all the other assertions that Trump is stingy with his money (he’d prefer the term “efficient” so watch for that) and has used the Trump Foundation as his personal funds. (Washington Post)

It not just charity that Donald isn’t giving to. He pledged $100 million of his own money to his presidential campaign. If he came through on his claim that he gave $10 million more to his campaign, he’s still be something like $34 million short of that pledge. (Talking Points Memo)

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Two more weeks! There are only two more weeks before we should all be done with this edition of the US election and can move on with our lives. At least, we hope that’s the case but with Donald Trump claiming to only accept the results if he wins, this election might drag on through the courts until the next election. And, until then, we’ll have a daily assortment of scandals to peruse and wonder how American politics got to this point.

An undercover investigation showed a Trump-supporting super PAC willing to bring a foreign donation despite that being illegal in US elections. (Daily Telegraph)

Remember Silvio Berlusconi’s infamous bunga-bunga parties? The term has regained traction with reports that a similar party or parties happened with Donald Trump and associates which involved cocaine, underage models and rich, old men. (The Daily Beast)

And here’s testimony from the rape lawsuit that has been filed against Trump and Jeffery Epstein. Some may find the testimony disturbing. (The Proud Liberal)

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We’re almost at the end of the 2016 US Presidential campaign. The world will be a better place when it’s done and we can all move on with our lives, assuming that there won’t be any legal challenges or civil wars. It’s sad that this is a legitimate possibility in an American election but here we are.

Anyway, it’s Sunday which means that we’re doing the links. Let’s kick off with Amy Adams.

Donald Trump has been talking about rigged elections so let’s talk about Congressional district gerrymandering and how that might mean four more years of the same. (Salon)

“Trump Won’t Inherit the Land, So He’s Sowing It with Salt” (Foreign Policy)

If you’ve been having trouble keeping track of all the women accusing The Donald of sexual improprieties, here’s a primer on 17 of them. (Vox)

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It’s Round Three of the Presidential Debates tonight. It’s Clinton vs. Trump III from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The margin between the two candidates is such that Trump needs a big surprise to turn momentum and a statistical error from the polling to draw level without even factoring the distribution of votes in the electoral college. Basically, Hilary is playing not to lose tonight while Trump’s got nothing left to lose.

What’s a scarier prospect for November 8th, 9th and beyond? The fact that militias are recruiting in preparation for a Clinton presidency… (The Guardian)

Or that Trump is advocating for Republican supporters to “observe” polling stations on November 8th. It’s authorized voter intimidation and it’s very illegal. (Mashable)

The Donald has gone so far as to say that Hilary has to be “taken out.” He’s not even trying to promote some hidden meeting. He explicitly said that his political opponent needs to be “in jail or shot.” (Talking Point Memo)